A Goryeo-era gilt-bronze seated Amitabha Buddha triad has been recently unearthed in Mount Geumgang, a North Korean propaganda outlet, Naenara, reported, Wednesday. Yonhap

By Park Han-sol

Rare Buddhist statues presumed to have been produced during the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) have been recently unearthed in the mountains of North Korea.

The gilt-bronze seated Amitabha Buddha triad has been found in Mount Geumgang in Gangwon Province, while the silver-gilt seated Bhaisajyaguru Buddha triad has been excavated in Mount Myohyang in Pyongan Province in recent weeks, a North Korean propaganda outlet, Naenara, reported on Wednesday.

According to the lab analysis conducted by Kim Il-sung University's High-tech Development Center, the Buddha triad from Mount Geumgang is made primarily of bronze, with stone and lead included and coated with gold.

The 16-centimeter-tall figure at the center, Amitabha Buddha, who is perceived as the Buddha presiding over the Western Paradise, was proven to be especially popular in the Goryeo period. The two attendant bodhisattvas by his side ― Avalokitesvara, left, and Ksitigarbha ― are smaller both in size and weight, 14 centimeters and 13.4 centimeters in height, respectively.

The back of the Amitabha Buddha statue is reportedly inscribed with the name of the Buddhist temple, Kwangam. The temple in question, formerly designated as a shrine to commemorate late Goryeo King Gongmin and his wife Queen Noguk, used to be situated in present-day Gaeseong before it was demolished sometime during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), according to Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency.

The silver-gilt seated Bhaisajyaguru Buddha triad found in Mount Myohyang / Yonhap

The three statues unearthed in Mount Myohyang are said to be made of silver with gold plating. The Bhaisajyaguru Buddha in the middle, commonly referred to as the "Medicine Buddha," is 8.9 centimeters tall. Similar to the Amitabha Buddha triad's composition, two bodhisattvas remain seated by his side. Ilgwang Bosal ("Sunlight Bodhisattva") on his left is 7.9 centimeters tall, while Wolgwang Bosal ("Moonlight Bodhisattva") is 7.8 centimeters in height.

Based on the statues' styles and engravings, an archaeological institute and an artifact evaluation committee in North Korea have concluded that these newly discovered relics are from the Goryeo period, when Buddhism was adopted as the state religion across the Korean Peninsula.

"(The academic circle has determined that) it is of great scholarly significance to be able to study and analyze these Buddhist statues' shapes as well as their period and method of production. In addition, it has recognized that these artifacts, excavated from the celebrated sites of Mount Myohyang and Geumgang, are well worth being valued as national treasures," Naenara reported.